The Dragon Whisperer
by Golden-yellow girl
Summary: This is my version of the movie. Hiccup discovers a prophecy about a dragon whisperer. When she discovers that Tuffnut is a dragon whisperer, she decides to help him with his powers. Credit for the idea goes to Time Lady Of Gallifrey.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT NOR AM IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED WITH HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON; BOTH BOOK AND MOVIE ARE NOT OWNED BY ME NOR DO I CLAIM ANY OWNERSHIP TO THEM! Narration is underlined, italicized, & bold. If anyone doesn't look at Time Lady Of Gallifrey's profile & read the bio, please do so first.**

_**This is Berk. It's twelve days North of Hopeless, & a few degrees South of Freezing to Death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. My village. In a word: sturdy & it's been here for seven generations but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, & a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitos. We have…**_

A scrawny teenage girl opened a door to see sheep fleeing as a dragon appeared; the dragon saw the girl & blasted fire in her direction before she quickly closed & leaned against the door, illuminated by the fire shooting through the slats of wood.

"Dragons." She hissed; raiding dragons arrived as Vikings began to defend their territory & livestock.

_**Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues.**_

She rushed outside, a small smile on her face as she took in the large masses of Vikings attacking the dragons all over the village; the house she left behind continued to burn.

_**My name's Hiccup.**_

A man fell on his face in front of her; the girl avoided the man as he grabbed an ax & ran back into battle. Hiccup ran through the village, darting through alleys & avoiding attacks while making her way through the raging battle.

_**Great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes & trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.**_

A large blast of fire knocked her to the ground; a Viking jumped to her, looking down at her.

"Arggghhhhh! Mornin'!" After he raced off to fight more dragons, Hiccup quickly got to her feet & raced away; she ran through the docks.

"What are you doing here!?" A Viking asked.

"Get inside!" Another Viking ordered.

"What are you doing out!?" A third asked.

"Get back inside!" A Viking woman ordered; Hiccup brushed off these warnings & was about to cross a narrow road when a dragon sent a blast of fire to the ground, right in front of her.

"Hiccup!?" A large hand grabbed her by the back of her brown fur vest & pulled her away; she closed her eyes as she hung in the air.

"What is she doing out again?!" Hiccup soon found herself staring at a burly face with a long red beard & drawn brows,

"What are you doing out?! Get inside!" The owner of the face then threw the girl out of harm's way; his muscled form moved about angrily while his eyes searched for his next victim.

_**That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby, he popped a dragon's head clean off of its shoulders.**_

Stoick picked up an empty, overturned cart & threw it at a dragon, catching it by surprise as it dropped the sheep it was holding.

_**Do I believe it? Yes I do.**_

"What have we got?" Stoick asked, turning around.

"Gronckles. Nadders. Zipplebacks. Oh, & Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare." The Viking that answered covered his head with his shield as an explosion occurred near them but Stoick stayed like a statue.

"Any Night Furies?" The Viking stood upright again,

"None so far." The chief brushed a bit of burning debris off his shoulder guard,

"Good." Hiccup raced through the rest of the battle as she heard another Viking call out,

"Hoist the torches!" Hiccup then entered a forge & took off her vest.

"Ah! Nice of you to join the party. I thought you'd been carried off." The smithy commented while hammering on a sword; Hiccup put on an apron.

"Who me? Nah, come on! I'm way too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this." She joked while putting something on a wall & performing a body builder pose.

"Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?" He laughed as he switched his hand before continuing with the sword he was working on; Hiccup went over & opened the front window. Vikings hurried over & dumped their weapons on the table; Hiccup grabbed the weapons & went to work with them while the Vikings went back to the fight.

_**The meathead with attitude & interchangeable hands is Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well...littler.**_

Stoick then watched as many Vikings carried as much sheep as they could before he spoke,

"We move to the lower defenses. We'll counter-attack with the catapults." They rushed off as a Monstrous Nightmare blasted fire at a rooftop.

_**See? Old village. Lots & lots of new houses.**_

"FIRE!" Hiccup looked out the window.

_**Oh & that's Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins: Ruffnut & Tuffnut, & Astrid.**_

She watched as they all hurried by, putting out fires as much as they could; a fireball created a huge wall of fire behind them, setting a heroic feel to the scene.

_**Fishlegs's big, like bigger than most of the adult Vikings on the island but he is really harmless & sort of a wimp; however, what he lacked in fighting ability he made up for in smarts, he had read the dragon handbook cover to cover twenty-seven times in the last year. That's more times than most Vikings read it in their entire lives; he could list facts about any dragon off the top of his head making him handy in a battle as well as for planning strategies. With a huge body, small head set into large shoulders, & rounded face, he looked a bit like a true Viking crossed with a toddler.**_

_**Snotlout's rude, loud, & unfortunately my cousin. He was under the impression that he was the best fighter of our age & while he had a pretty good bulk, he was impatient & lacked skills as well as brains. He boasted an awful lot about everything he had done but was never taken seriously, always acting like a stereotypical grade A jerk. He had short black hair, a block like figure, & unfortunately for him, facial features that made him look like a prize pig.**_

_**Ruffnut's the female half of the Thorsten twins; she's more mature than her brother but a lot more mischievous. She's also a good fighter & loved battle; she's a bit braver than her brother, who freaked out when things became stressed. Tuffnut's the male half of the Thorsten twins; he's immature, annoying, & the tiniest bit of a coward when things became hard.**_

_**While his sister went for the more mischievous route, he preferred that of the annoying variety. He could make the most patient person lose their wits & attack. He's as good a fighter as his sister; however, this is also coupled with a male ego that made him a bit sexist, luckily, his sister is always there to sort him out.**_

_**While the twins fought a lot, they were each other's targets & no one else's so they had been known to get revenge on people who hurt their other half: Ruffnut's favorite way of going about this was to pull prank after prank until their life was crumbling around them while Tuffnut preferred the good old fashioned way of a sound beating so his fighting for his sister's dignity & respect often ended with the receiving party under care of Gothi for a while to be treated for severe injuries. The twins are almost exactly alike if not for Tuffnut's lack of a chest, more masculine features, & molten silver eyes while his sister's are ocean blue. People would be unable to tell them apart if they dressed the same & let their hair down.**_

_**Finally is Astrid, she's all around the best in our age group: best fighter, best strategist, best speaker, & best looking. She's one of the most sought after girls in the village both for her looks & skills. It's almost certain that in dragon training, she will be the one to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. Her golden hair, sky-like eyes, mature figure, & sharp features made her look like a regal elf from legends; her battle prowess only furthering this rumor.**_

_**Their job is so much cooler.**_

She attempted to vault over the counter only to be pulled back by Gobber at the last second.

"Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark." Gobber then set her down with a smile,

"Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places." Hiccup backed away while begging,

"Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date." Gobber began to list the flaws of her plan,

"You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an ax…" he then picked up a set of bolos,

"…you can't even throw one of these." A Viking grabbed the bolos & spun it deftly around his head before letting go; the bolos bound a Gronkle by its legs, sending it plummeting to the ground.

"Okay fine, but…" she then moved to a strange contraption & patted it gently,

"…this will throw it for me." The contraption suddenly sprung out, sending out something that missed Gobber as he dodged; it hit a waiting Viking in the face, knocking him heavily to the ground.

"See? Now this right here is what I'm talking about!"

"Mild calibration issue…" she trailed off, gesturing towards the floor.

"Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all…" Gobber gestured in her general direction while explaining about what she needed to stop.

"…this." Hiccup drawled, swiping her hands back & forth before looking up puzzled,

"But… you just pointed to all of me."

"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you." Gobber instructed with a smile.

"Ohhhh…" Hiccup mused as if understanding.

"Ohhhhh, yes." Gobber mimicked before Hiccup started again,

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw…Vikingness contained. There will be consequences!" Gobber didn't look scared at all,

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now." He then gently tossed her a sword & walked off to get back to work; Hiccup sighed as she took the sword to a grinding wheel, sharpening it.

_**One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here. A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a boyfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic. Two heads, twice the status.**_

"They found the sheep!" A man reported, watching as the dragons came nearer to one of their food sources; Stoick kept focus,

"Concentrate fire over the lower bank!" He was already turning the catapult so it faced their target.

"Fire!" The catapult launched a large boulder, which hit a Nadder & caused it to drop the sheep it was carrying; Stoick looked over the edge to see a blazing dragon glaring at him.

_**And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.**_

"Reload! I'll take care of this." He grabbed a hammer & began delivering blows to the dragon's head before a shrill cry was heard, causing Stoick to look at the sky & the dragon to escape; Hiccup looked up from her sharpening upon hearing it.

_**But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the…**_

"Night Fury!" Someone shouted, recognizing the shrill cry; someone else shouted,

"Get down!" Everyone quickly ducked as a purple blast hit the catapult, destroying it upon impact & sending pieces of it flying everywhere; a black shape zoomed overhead, temporarily illuminated by the light of the explosion.

"JUMP!" Stoick called before everyone aboard the catapult jumped to safety.

_**This thing never steals food, never shows itself, &…**_

Hiccup watched as another blast hit the catapult.

…_**never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first.**_

She wiped her hands on her apron & walked away from the windowed counter to see Gobber fastening an ax prosthetic to his left wrist.

"Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there!" He headed for the door before stopping & turning to her,

"Stay. Put. There." She gave him a look.

"You know what I mean." He rushed out.

* * *

Hiccup then rushed through a group of Vikings while pushing her contraption.

"Hiccup, where are you going!?"

"Come back here!" But she ignored them as she kept running as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Be right back!" She called over her shoulder; Stoick & a group of Vikings managed to trap some Nadders with a net but one had managed to rip its head out & blasted fire into the air.

"Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them." Stoick yelled as he leapt into the air & landed on the snout, effectively closing the jaws & halting the flames. He wrestled the head down, pinning it to the ground beneath his large hands; Hiccup reached the top of a cliff before she opened up her weapon. She then focused on the sky with her weapon,

"Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at." She then saw the catapult tower in front of him getting destroyed by a purple blast; she fired her weapon upon seeing a black shape speed past. The force sent her backwards to the ground; she quickly got to her feet as she heard a shrieking noise.

"Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it! Did anybody see that?" She asked, looking around; she suddenly heard a crunch from behind her.

"Except for you." She knowingly muttered, turning to an angry Monstrous Nightmare; Stoick turned from his task of holding down the Nadders as he heard a terrified shriek to see Hiccup running away from the dragon. He sighed before getting up,

"DO NOT let them escape!" He then raced off; Hiccup ran away as the Nightmare blasted fire at her. She then hid behind a pole only for it to burst into flames; Tuffnut raced over, his footsteps drawing the attention of the dragon.

"_The Dragon Whisperer!_" The dragon snarled in a masculine voice; Tuffnut's eyes went wide with shock & confusion.

"_We're all doomed to this fate._" He slowly backed away as the dragon advanced towards him; Stoick suddenly arrived, knocking the dragon away from the male twin. The chief rolled out of his leap & faced the dragon; the Monstrous Nightmare snarled & opened its jaws but when a small stream of liquid fire gushed out before it stopped, the dragon whimpered.

"You're all out." Stoick whispered before he bravely delivered a flurry of punches & kicks at the dragon, causing him to fly away; Stoick then grunted as the dragon flew away before he walked over & rested a hand on Tuffnut's shoulder, calming the teen down.

_**Oh, & there's one more thing you need to know…**_

They both then turned their attention to the pole as it collapsed, revealing Hiccup. The still-burning top then began to roll through the village; Hiccup began to cringe & Tuffnut looked on in sympathy while shrieks & crashes are heard.

"Sorry, Dad." Everyone watched as dragons flew away with a net full of sheep; Ruffnut noticed that her brother didn't seem a bit angry as Hiccup turned & pointed off somewhere,

"Okay, but I hit a Night Fury." Stoick grabbed her by the back of her vest & began to drag her away.

"It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it. You guys were busy & I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it…" Stoick released her & turned to her,

"STOP! Just…stop. Every time you step outside, disaster follows & you almost got Tuffnut killed this time. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here & I have an entire village to feed!" Hiccup's eyes shifted around,

"Between you & me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?"

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup! Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"

"I can't stop myself. I see a dragon & I have to just… kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad." Stoick sighed,

"You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them. Get back to the house." He looked over to Gobber,

"Make sure she gets there." Gobber walked over & softly whacked her upside the back of her head; she half-heartedly glared at him.

"I have her mess to clean up." He muttered as he walked in the opposite direction; Hiccup noticed that Tuffnut was giving her an apologetic look, his eyes showing guilt, confusion, & shock.

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!" Snotlout condescendingly stated.

"Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so…" she muttered in sarcasm. She felt marginally better when she caught sight of Gobber pushing him to the ground by his helmet; the smithy was more of a father to her than her own father had ever been.

"I really did hit one." She moaned as they climbed to a house on the top of a hill.

"Sure, Hiccup." Gobber placated, following the young girl up the hill.

"He never listens." She complained.

"Well, it runs in the family." Gobber commented; Hiccup wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a compliment or insult. She shook her head as she continued to the door with the smithy close behind.

"And when he does, it's always with this… disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich." She then stopped at the door, turned to the side, & began to perfectly impersonate her father,

"Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts & glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fish bone." She then let her arms drop to her sides; she always knew that her dad resented her being a girl instead of a boy.

"You're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand." Hiccup made a face before moaning,

"Thank you, for summing that up." She then turned to the door & rested a hand on it.

"Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not."

"I just want to be one of you guys." She moaned in defeat before walking into the house; once Gobber left, she snuck out the back door.


	2. Change of heart

Stoick & many other villagers gathered in the Great Hall for a meeting; a large map was spread out in front of the chief.

"Either we finish them or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest & destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home." He announced before he stabbed the guessed location of the dragons' home with a dagger.

"One more search. Before the ice sets in."

"Those ships never come back." A Viking exclaimed; Stoick reasoned,

"We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?" Silent mutters sounded.

"Today's not good for me." A Viking muttered.

"I've gotta do my ax returns." Another muttered as many gazes shifted down; Stoick suddenly thought of a way to change it,

"Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup." As soon as he said that, every hand shot up.

"To the ships!" A woman quickly proclaimed; Spitelout spoke out,

"I'm with you, Stoick!"

"That's more like it." The chief muttered satisfied; Gobber wiped his face & tapped his mug-hand on the table he sat at before standing up,

"Right, I'll pack my undies." Stoick walked over to his friend & sat down,

"No, I need you to stay & train some new recruits."

"Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to herself…what could possibly go wrong?" Gobber asked sarcastically, throwing his good hand up in the air; Stoick sighed in frustration,

"What am I going to do with her, Gobber?"

"Put her in training with the others." Gobber suggested, looking at his long-time friend.

"No, I'm serious." Stoick scoffed, looking at him; Gobber jumped in,

"So am I." Stoick didn't look happy,

"She'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage."

"Oh, you don't know that." Gobber defended.

"I do know that, actually." Stoick shot out.

"No, you don't." Stoick shot back,

"No, actually I do." Gobber was fed up with it,

"No you don't!" Stoick began to reason,

"Listen! You know what she's like. From the time she could crawl, she's been…different. She doesn't listen. She has the attention span of a sparrow." Gobber's stone tooth fell out of his mouth & into his mug; he looked in for it.

"I take her fishing & she goes hunting for… for trolls." Stoick finished in anger.

"Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?" Gobber wondered as he turned back around.

"When I was a boy…" Stoick started.

"Oh here we go." Gobber muttered under his breath.

"My father told me to bang my head against a rock & I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?" Gobber was trying to get his tooth while Stoick was explaining.

"You got a headache." Gobber groaned, finally getting his tooth; he then gently hammered his tooth back in with the bottom of the mug.

"That rock split in two. It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. Hiccup is not like that."

"You can't stop her, Stoick. You can only prepare her. Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect her. She's going to get out there again. She's probably out there now." Gobber confessed; Stoick began to think.

* * *

Hiccup looked down at her notebook; she then closed her eyes before lifting her face. When she opened her eyes & saw no sign of the shot-down dragon, she sighed in disappointment; she then drew an "X" over the spot she had looked before scribbling over her map & closing the book in frustration.

"Uggh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon." She sighed in frustration & anger.

_Why would Dad want a boy? Maybe he hates me even more because I remind him of Mom._

Her dark hair looked half red & half brown with tiny streaks bleached blonde by the sun was tied in its usual double plait; her eyes were a deep emerald green with flecks of silver that made her eyes shine in the sun. Her face was a rounded forehead & became somewhat triangular at her chin; her small nose sitting right in the center while a group of freckles dotted across the bridge & over a bit of her cheeks.

She was quite mature for her age & had lots of curves in all the right places but every morning, she bound her chest so it made her look more like a boy; she didn't want to give anyone another reason to pick on her. Astrid & Ruffnut knew that she bound her chest because they did the same thing but not as tightly as her; they weren't trying to hide their chests, they were just trying to make it more comfortable under their armor.

It was an unspoken rule among the girls that no matter what they said during the teasing sessions, they never mention the wrappings they wore under their clothes; it was embarrassing to talk about around the boys as they were so immature for their age. Unfortunately for Hiccup that even with the bindings, her chest was bigger than the other two girls so she was often teased; she looked at her clothes: typical Viking-style boots, a brown belt, blue pants under a forest-green skirt, & a hip-length green-blue shirt with long sleeves under her brown fur vest. She then whacked a low-hanging branch; it snapped back at her, hitting her in the face.

"Ouch!" She screeched, reaching up to cover her eye but slowly lowered it as she looked up to see a snapped tree trunk; her eyes followed it to a long trench of up-turned earth. She suspiciously followed it to a downed, black dragon; getting a closer look, she noticed that its body & tail are tangled in the set of bolos & it appears to be dead.

"Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This fixes everything. Yes!" She cheered; she began to get giddy.

_Dad will be proud of me, everyone will appreciate me, & Tuffnut will…wait, why am I thinking this? I shouldn't like him; he made my life a living hell. Wait, why did he look at me like he did when Dad told me to get back to the house? Tuffnut should've been angry at me._

"I have brought down this mighty beast!" She confidently proclaimed while shaking away her thoughts as she placed a foot on the dragon's side, envisioning the reactions of the village; a loud groan & a shift from beneath her forced her back against the large boulder, her hand with the knife flat against the rock as she slightly cowered. The dragon breathed heavily, its eyes still closed; Hiccup cautiously advanced on it, her small dagger clutched in her hand & pointed towards it.

_It's still alive; I gotta kill it to prove to everyone._

She shifted her eyes along its body, noticing the way the bolos had wound around it & stopped it from moving while keeping its legs restrained against its body; her eyes moved up its body until she stopped on its face. The eye facing her was wide open, revealing that it is forest green, a shade lighter than her own but with a slit pupil like a cat's eye; she saw the fear in its eye, the fear of death.

_It's afraid? How can a beast like this be afraid?_

She turned slowly away & moved her knife up, keeping a firm grip on it as her hand wavered slightly; against her will her eyes moved to meet the dragon's. She was taking short, deep breaths now, attempting to put its pleading gaze out of her mind.

"I'm going to kill you, Dragon. I'm gonna cut out your heart & take it to my father. I'm a Viking. I am a Viking!" She exclaimed almost as if she was trying to convince herself of that fact; she lifted the dagger over her head, trying to ignore the moan of pain from the dragon as it continued to gaze steadily at her. She closed her eyes but opened one at the last second, meeting the gaze of the dragon; she closed her eyes &, once again, drew the dagger over her head.

The dragon gave a wail & closed its eye, letting its head drop back down to the earthy ground as it accepted its fate; Hiccup made one last attempt to thrust the dagger downwards but stopped, letting it drop along with her closed fists onto her head. She lowered her hands off her head & gazed at it before turning her attention back to the dragon & its bonds,

"I did this." The dragon's eye suddenly shot open when it heard the girl cutting the ropes; it watched her every move. As the last rope fell free, the dragon suddenly pounced; in a blur, the dragon is upon her, pinning her down by her neck.

_This is it; I'm gonna die. I should've stayed at home._

She found its wolf-like stare boring into her; the dragon then drew a deep breath, as though it's about to torch her, but let out an ear-piercing scream into her face instead. It turned & took flight, flapping violently through a canopy of trees; it bashed against a nearby mountain side, recovered, & dropped out of view some distance away.

_It just let me live? Just like that? But why?_

Hiccup thought as she fell back against the rock; she then got to her feet with her dagger in hand before she watched in concern as the dragon thudded into several trees & rocks before gradually lowering out of sight. She managed to walk several paces before she dropped her dagger & fainted.

* * *

Hiccup woke up & began stumbling back through the forest; going blindly down the paths that she was certain would lead her to the village. Her steps were sluggish & slow while her head throbbed from hitting it on the rock & ground; she could vaguely make out the shapes of buildings in the distance & clutched a nearby tree, trying desperately to keep going.

She saw a small figure making its way towards her but her vision was becoming fuzzy & she was finding it more & more difficult to stand; just before she collapsed again, she felt a strong arm wind around her waist & another under her knees, lifting her up against a hard chest.

"What's wrong with you?" She heard a familiar voice ask & tried to make up an excuse but it only came out as a whimper; Tuffnut sighed, looking down at the nearly unconscious girl in his arms. He then noticed that he was almost at her house before he walked to her house; he stopped at her door & gently set her to her feet before turning to walk away.

"Why did you help me, Tuffnut?" He looked over his shoulder to see her looking at him; he had decided to be nice to her,

"Call it a change of heart." Hiccup smiled,

"Thank you!" Tuffnut smiled,

"No problem!" He then hurried home as Hiccup silently entered her house; she saw her father at the fire. The teen girl kept as quiet as possible, keeping an eye on her father; she slowly climbed the stairs.

_I'm gonna be in trouble if he catches me; it was a miracle that Tuffnut was even out there, even more so that he helped me. I can still smell the spicy scent that was distinctly him & the way his arms had held me close as if I was a precious bundle: he sure knew how to handle a girl; wait, he always tortured me so his "change of heart" isn't gonna change anything._

"Hiccup." She stopped, cringing when she realized she had been caught,

"Dad. Uh…" she paused before speaking again,

"Uh… I have to talk to you, Dad." Stoick heaved himself out of his seat & faced his daughter,

"I need to speak with you too, dear." They each took a deep breath.

"I've decided I don't want to fight dragons." Hiccup exclaimed while Stoick said,

"I think it's time you learn to fight dragons." This caused the both of them to be confused.

"What?" They both asked, facing each other as they tried to decipher what was said in the jumble of words; Hiccup couldn't help but think about what her father wanted to tell her.

"You go first." Stoick offered; Hiccup shook her head as she climbed down,

"No, you go first." Her father didn't argue,

"Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning." He straightened up & placed his hands on his hips as he said this.

"Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings…" Hiccup asked, twirling her hands together nervously.

"You'll need this." He interrupted while dropping a normal ax into her hands.

"I don't want to fight dragons." Stoick chuckled at his daughter's statement,

"Come on. Yes, you do." He then turned away.

"Rephrase. Dad, I can't kill dragons." Hiccup raised her voice to try & get her point across.

"But you will kill dragons." Hiccup tried not to collapse from the weight of the ax,

"No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't."

"It's time, Hiccup." Stoick exclaimed in a very serious tone; his daughter tried again,

"Can you not hear me?" Stoick stressed,

"This is serious, dear! When you carry this ax, you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us. No more of… this." Hiccup deadpanned, seeing the similarities between Stoick & Gobber,

"You just gestured to all of me."

"Deal?" Stoick questioned.

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided."

"DEAL?!" Stoick asked more forcibly; Hiccup allowed the ax to drop & sighed in defeat,

"Deal." She looked down before looking back up at her father.

"Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably." He stated as he hoisted a large sack over his shoulder, put on his helmet, & headed for the door.

"And I'll be here. Maybe." Hiccup muttered before the door closed behind her father.


	3. Dragon training: day 1

Gobber pushed open the metal gate to the killing arena & turned to the teens,

"Welcome to dragon training!"

"No turning back." Astrid muttered, leading the group through the tunnel to enter the ring; they all looked around in awe at the mighty structure. It is the same one they had gazed upon their whole lives & told themselves that one day, they would be the one to kill the dragon in there; they would have the honor of the whole village's eyes on them as they become a Viking. Astrid smirked,

_This is gonna be good; I'll prove to everyone that I'm a true warrior to this tribe._

Tuffnut & Ruffnut both carried their double ended spears, the blades sharpened to perfection; Fishlegs carried a large hammer made of a large square rock fastened to a sturdy handle & Astrid had her usual double bladed ax while Snotlout carried a black mace with silver spikes. Tuffnut announced,

"I hope I get some serious burns." His twin sister responded while shrugging back,

"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back." Astrid spoke out,

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Fishlegs had yet to speak, his eyes widening as he took in the large cell doors on the edge of the arena.

"Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it." Hiccup moaned from the back of the group before rolling her eyes at their conversation.

"Oh great. Who let her in?" Tuffnut asked, his heart secretly clenching with worry as he thought of all the injuries she could obtain; he quickly dismissed it & concentrated on the insults being thrown.

"Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village." Gobber announced, walking over to the group; Tuffnut grew confused & suspicious when he noticed Hiccup wincing at the "killing" part.

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify her or…?" Snotlout sneered before the twins burst into laughter while Fishlegs looked hurt; the group then went deeper into the arena while Gobber tried to comfort his apprentice,

"Don't worry. You're small & weak. That'll make you less of a target. They'll see you as sick or insane & go after the more Viking-like teens instead." He gradually walked her towards the group & let go of her as they drew near, moving in front of his newest batch of students,

"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight. The Deadly Nadder."

"Speed eight. Armor sixteen." Fishlegs chanted out.

"The Hideous Zippleback." Gobber stated.

"Plus eleven stealth. Times two."

"The Monstrous Nightmare." Fishlegs chanted again,

"Firepower fifteen." Possibly not hearing Fishlegs talking, Gobber continued,

"The Terrible Terror." Fishlegs was becoming excited & his voice had risen,

"Attack eight. Venom twelve." Gobber was annoyed,

"CAN YOU STOP THAT?! And…the Gronckle."

"Jaw strength, eight." Fishlegs whispered to Hiccup out of the corner of his mouth, making sure that Gobber didn't hear; Tuffnut silently scowled as he saw their close proximity out of his peripheral vision. Hiccup suddenly noticed Gobber smiling wickedly as he started moving the lever down.

"Oh no!" She whispered, slowly backing away.

"What is it, Hiccup?" Astrid asked in annoyance as all the recruits turned their attention to her.

"When he smiles like that, it means he's going to do something he finds fun, which is gonna be painful for us." Their eyes widened as they trusted her judgment, knowing that she knew the smithy better; they all turned their attention back & saw the lever moving further down to release.

"Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first!?" Snotlout asked in panic, moving forward quickly to stand in front of the other students; Tuffnut noticed Hiccup giving him a look that seemed to tell him the answer would be no.

"I believe in learning on the job." Gobber answered lightly, finally thrusting down the lever & leaving the ring quickly, positioning himself so he could make sure that none of them got killed; the Gronckle burst through the unlocked door & charged straight for the group of teenagers, causing them to scatter.

"Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead." The dragon suddenly noticed the male twin,

"_The Dragon Whisperer!_" Tuffnut looked over to see the dragon heading towards him.

"Not again." He quietly moaned before he jumped out of the way; the Gronckle crashed into the wall that Tuffnut once stood in front of.

"_This war must end; you must help end it, Dragon Whisperer!_" The Gronckle exclaimed in a feminine voice as it flew towards him again; Hiccup looked over upon hearing roars,

"Tuffnut!" The others saw that Tuffnut was avoiding the Gronckle but also keeping her away from them; the dragon sent a blast, tripping Tuffnut with its hit. He slowly got to his feet & turned to the dragon.

"_The fate of everyone relies on you, Dragon Whisperer!_" A hook suddenly slipped into the corner of the dragon's mouth & yanked her away.

"That's enough! Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage!" Gobber then dragged the dragon away by the hook in her mouth; he used the momentum of the dragon's flight to throw her back into her cage before he locked it, the heavy wooden bar settling over the entrance & the lever pushed back into place.

"You'll get another chance, don't you worry."

"You okay?" Snotlout asked while resting a hand on Tuffnut's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Gobber walked over to the group,

"Remember, a dragon will always, always go for the kill." Hiccup watched as Gobber walked away; she then looked down in confusion. Snotlout, Astrid, & Fishlegs left as Ruffnut looked at her brother,

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tuffnut looked at her,

"I'm sure!" He watched his sister leave; Hiccup then ran from the arena, unaware of the stunning grey eyes that followed her as she left.

* * *

"So…why didn't you?" Hiccup asked while she picked up a piece of the bolos & held it in her hand; she then set it back onto the ground & followed the path she had seen the Night Fury take, a circle of huge grey boulders (three times as tall as her) greeted her through the trees. She walked quickly around the perimeter & came across a narrow crack that she would just be able to slip through.

_That's easy enough; sometimes being me pays._

When she entered, she was in awe; the area behind the boulders was a beautiful cove with a lake in the middle while thin rays of sunlight that shone through the narrow holes in the trees canopies. Her eyes scanned the entire cove, looking for a group of shining ebony scales in the small enclosure,

"Well this was stupid." She moaned before her gaze drifted towards the ground but halted as they spotted a trail of small black circles that looked suspiciously like scales; she bent to pick one up in her hand & turned it over, examining the scale that had never before been found.

_These look like the scales of the Night Fury._

A loud screech echoed around the area as a huge black shape darted upwards past her, startling her out of her ministrations; she crept forward & saw it desperately scrambling at the rock for a hold only to slowly slide back down. It pushed off at the last second & narrowly avoided hitting the ground; it unfurled its wings & used them to glide across the surface of the lake, coming to a descent on the other side with a small rumble.

_It's the Night Fury; at least it's safe._

Hiccup's eyes darted about for a lower ledge before she quickly scrambled down, knowing if she got hurt no one would be able to help her this far out in the forest, not that she expected anyone to want to help her; her foot slipped slightly as she searched for a foot hole, her eyes taking in the Night Fury with abject wonder. Her eyebrows furrowed together when she noticed that it was having trouble staying in the air for more than a few seconds, not nearly long enough to get over the rocks of the cove.

_What in the name of Thor is it doing?_

Her hands fumbled for her sketchbook in her vest; her shaking hands hurriedly pulled it from its pocket & picked up her pencil. Sketching with deft strokes the outline of the Night Fury, the sketch was done in seconds but her brow furrowed as she noticed her mistake: she had added a tail fin right where there shouldn't be one; she messily erased it.

"Why don't you just…fly away?" She watched as the dragon kept trying to fly; when it roughly landed on the ground, it growled in disappointment. It suddenly perked up at the sound of a splash; the dragon went over to the pond & dove his head in at a shocking speed but didn't catch any fish. Hiccup suddenly felt her pencil falling out of her hand; she tried to grab it again but she was too slow.

* * *

At the Great Hall, Fishlegs noticed that Tuffnut wasn't even eating; he was just staring at the table.

"Tuffnut, are you okay? You haven't eaten anything at all!" Tuffnut looked at the worried looks around him before lightly shoving his plate away,

"I'm not hungry; I'll see you guys tomorrow." He then got up & headed for the door before it opened; he nearly bumped into Hiccup.

"Oh sorry." He moved around before he left; Hiccup was worried as she watched Tuffnut race home. She then walked to the group & tapped Ruff's shoulder,

"Ruff, is Tuff okay?" The female twin shrugged,

"He's been like that since the raid!" Hiccup grabbed a mug & a plate with a chicken leg before she walked to the next table, sitting by herself; Gobber suddenly walked over to them,

"Alright. What went wrong in the ring today?"

"The dragon saw Tuffnut & went after him!" Astrid answered, her voice full of concern; Hiccup was shocked when she caught the concern.

"Yes, we'll need to work on that." He then took out a book & shoved the cups & bowls away, placing it on the wooden table near Astrid & Fishlegs,

"The Dragon manual. Everything we know about every Dragon we know of." He stabbed the cover of the book with a meaty finger; a rumble of thunder sounded heavily in the distance & Gobber heaved a sigh that sounded like a mix of relieved & annoyed,

"No attacks tonight. Study up." He then left the hall; Hiccup watched him go before she sighed.

"Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout wondered, banging his fist on the table.

"That's funny, Snotlout; I never thought you could read." Hiccup sneered, turning her head to stare at her cousin in fake amazement; Snotlout's face heated up in embarrassment while Ruffnut burst out laughing & Astrid stifled a few giggles. Hiccup then frowned as she looked at the door,

"But really Ruffnut, why don't you head home & check on Tuffnut?" Ruffnut then stopped laughing & gave a sad smile,

"Thanks Hiccup. See you guys tomorrow!" She then rushed away; Astrid was confused.

**Later…**

Hiccup sat down, having sent the others home & cleaned up the Great Hall; she had two lit candles, placing them both on the table near the book so she would have light to read by. She then sat down & opened the book,

"Dragon classifications. Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class." She then turned the page,

"Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves & dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight." She turned to the next page,

"Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight." She sighed,

"Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous." She suddenly shrieked as a loud crash of thunder resounded through the hall & a flash of lightning lit up the hall, casting shadows across the walls; she shook her head & returned to her reading,

"Changewing. Even newly hatched Dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight. Okay, I'm starting to see a pattern here." She began to flip through the pages,

"Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Bone Knapper. Whispering Death. Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight." Her voice trailed off as she turned to a different page in the book, it was nearly empty with no pictures & only a few sentences,

"Night Fury. Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning & death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance: hide & pray it does not find you." She suddenly noticed a page with a slit in it; she felt over it to discover that it was in fact two pages stuck together. She carefully separated the pages & began to read,

"Dragon Whisperer. Legend tells of a psychic Viking born with the ability to talk to dragons. The Dragon Whisperer has unlimited power. The best known fact: the Dragon Whisperer must be a male twin." This last sentence scared her,

_Tuffnut is the Dragon Whisperer!_


	4. Dragon training: day 2

Hiccup woke early the next morning before getting dressed; she then ran downstairs & out the door, quickly making her way to the hall. She spotted several early risers, who were walking about the village & starting their morning routines; Hiccup jogged up the stairs & entered the empty hall, the teens were not known for being morning people & the older Vikings that were up had already had breakfast, leaving her all alone.

_Finally, some peace until training!_

She sat down at her usual table in the furthest corner & ate a big breakfast to prepare for training; she then cleaned up & headed for the door, almost bumping into the twins.

"Morning, Hiccup! Sleep well?" Ruffnut asked as Tuffnut walked past them; Hiccup smiled,

"I sure did! We're gonna haveta keep an eye on Tuffnut though; remember the Gronckle?" Ruffnut smiled & nodded before she went to join her brother; Hiccup then walked down the stairs & over to the forge to work on something. It wasn't long before she heard the other teenagers moving through the village in a pack; the metallic ringing coming from their direction hinted at the fact that they were going to training. Hiccup sighed,

_This is gonna be interesting; I just hope it doesn't go like yesterday._

She then picked up the ax her father had given her, placed it over her shoulder, & left the forge behind the group, trying her hardest not to be seen; Fishlegs turned to wave at her subtly, knowing that his friend wouldn't want the others to see her. Tuffnut looked over his shoulder & slipped her a genuine smile; Hiccup couldn't help but daydream about her & the male twin before she shook her head.

_Why would I even consider these thoughts?_

Sooner than she had hoped, Hiccup was once again in the ring; the other teens were standing a little ways away from her in a group. Fishlegs detached from them & walked over to her; sticking by her so the others would hopefully leave her alone.

_At least Fishlegs cares about me, just like Gobber._

Her eyes scanned the makeshift maze that Gobber had created out of huge wooden panels; it didn't look that difficult to navigate but Hiccup doubted that all they had to do was make it from one side to the other.

"What dragon do you reckon we're going to fight today?" Fishlegs asked quietly, trusting her inner knowledge of the way Gobber worked.

"Well, if I know Gobber, he'll be pitting us against the Deadly Nadder; tell me, my friend, how good are you with large sharp spines?" She teased, pausing dramatically at the end & breaking into giggles at the horrified look on his face.

_That was just way too easy._

Hiccup was completely unaware of the fact that the other trainees had stopped to listen to her, missing the dark look of jealousy that the male twin shot at her friend as he smiled, only for him to pale as she determined the dragon they were facing today. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he heard her chiming laugh; he suddenly frowned & looked at the ground,

_I hope the Nadder doesn't attack me._

"Oi lass! Thank ya very much for ruinin' the surprise! I wanted to see their faces when I told 'em which one was goin' to be trying to kill 'em today!" Gobber thundered as he entered, sending a fake mad look in her direction; Hiccup giggled some more.

"Sorry, please continue telling us how you plan to kill us today." She gestured with her free hand to the group of teens & put up an incredible poker face, not a sign of emotion crossing her face; Gobber then hefted a shield into her arms & threw some more at the others, leaving them to grab their own from the small selection.

"Alright, let's get started." He called, moving swiftly through the maze & across the ring before jerking down a lever to one of the cages, once again letting the dragon loose on the group of teens without any beforehand knowledge.

_Here we go; hopefully Tuffnut doesn't end up in the same situation as yesterday._

Gobber then grabbed the edge of the ring & hoisted himself out, slipping carefully through the iron bars so he could observe the teens as they struggled to survive; Hiccup ignored the looming threat of the dragon as it made its way around the ring, choosing instead to stand in the center so she had a clear view of Gobber so she can talk to him.

"You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?" She asked, letting her shield hang casually by her side; the only warning she got for the incoming fireball was a steady swoosh as it thudded into the wall next to her head, embedding the burning embers into the thick wood.

"WHAT?!" She cried, ducking instinctually away from the heat with a startled yelp.

"Whoa." She looked at what was left of her ax.

"Focus Hiccup! You're not even trying." The Deadly Nadder hopped over one of the panels & Hiccup shrieked as it bore down on her, its mouth open wide & its rows of pointy teeth glistening like freshly sharpened blades; her feet thrummed back & forth quickly, her mind trying to figure out which side would be easier to navigate but with only seconds to spare, she darted off to the right, her shield weighing her down as she ran.

"Today… is all about attack. Nadders are quick & light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker & lighter." Gobber instructed, missing the incurious look Fishlegs sent in his direction; the Nadder's spines thudding into his shield as he ran through the maze with a scream, his big bulk making the lesson a lot harder for him.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods." He called as his shield hit a wall & sent him spinning before he looked over his shoulder for the Nadder that had attacked him moments before from its place above them on the top of the panels.

"Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, & strike." Gobber advised, watching with an almost bored expression as Hiccup darted past the twins, who were running almost in sync as only twins could; they both jerked to a stop as they came face to face with the Nadder, its head moving forward till they were almost touching, the twins having found its blind spot first.

_Okay Tuffnut, stay in the blind spot & you'll be safe._

Its nostrils flared as it tried to locate the owner of the scent that was so close but it couldn't see; Tuffnut instinctively pulled back & crashed himself against his sister as he watched the Nadder with a terrified expression. Ruffnut stayed calm as she tried to avoid large movements & risk moving out of the blind spot,

"At least this one isn't trying to kill you." Both twins moved side to side as the Nadder swung its head, somehow remaining hidden in its blind spot; Tuffnut whispered back,

"Please don't jinx it." His sister had a look of guilt before whispering,

"Sorry." Both twins backed away & silently bolted down the side they came from; Gobber chuckled as three of the teens darted past beneath him. Hiccup saw that the Nadder was far enough away not to be a threat & broke away from the group, skidding to a halt back in front of Gobber & craning her neck back so she could see Gobber,

"Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?"

"No one's ever met one & lived to tell the tale. Now get in there." Gobber ordered loudly, thrusting his real hand towards the dragon that was moving swiftly across the arena in search of prey.

"I know, I know, but hypothetically…" she began, slowly backing up so she could still ask her questions but was cut off by Astrid, who was crouched behind the corner with Snotlout close behind her.

"Hiccup! Get down!" Astrid hissed, peeking around the corner only to duck back as the Nadder crept around the one in front. Its jerky movements reminded Astrid of a bird of prey she once saw, its sharp beak like mouth, small eyes, & thin body completed the image.

_I may have been born to hate dragons but this Nadder is really magnificent & beautiful._

She carefully timed the exact moment when they would be in its blind spot then counted down before quickly tumbling forward into a roll, using her shield to gain speed & move to the other panels.

_That was way too easy; a Nadder is a synch!_

Much to her displeasure, Snotlout managed the same maneuver & appeared next to her; the two turned back just in time to see Hiccup attempting to copy them, only for the weight of her shield to drag her back by the arm strap as it refused to move with her.

_Hiccup is unable to join us properly, like always._

The Nadder heard the sharp clang & heavy breathing, tipping its head to the side so Hiccup was out of its blind spot & in full view; it darted forward, snapping dangerously close to where Hiccup was once standing as she shrieked, quickly heaved herself to her feet, & darted down the maze, trying desperately to avoid the Nadder.

_At least she can avoid them faster than we can._

The dragon flapped its wings strongly & landed heavily on top of the panels, balancing precariously on the edge before dropping down, cutting off the alley that Astrid & Snotlout were about to run down. The Nadder sped forwards & Astrid crouched, bringing up her ax as she readied to face it; Snotlout sneered & pushed her aside with his shield, ignoring her cry of ignition as he pulled back his mace arm & leant back.

"Watch out, babe. I'll take care of this." He preened, throwing his mace towards the dragon. It flew straight into the panel, connecting with a muffled thump before falling to the ground, completely missing the dragon, which made a funny sound in the back of its throat: a cross between a hiss & a cough as it turned back to face the two Vikings.

"The sun was in my eyes, Astrid." Snotlout protested, slumping as he turned to face the blonde teen before she spun on her heel & fled from the Nadder. He gave a startled yelp as it shot a blast of fire towards him, moving at the last second so it struck the wall; Snotlout was still whining as he tailed Astrid.

"What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don't have time right now!" He almost forgot about the angry dragon as it chased them through the alley; Astrid continued on her forward path but Snotlout, sensing that it was getting closer to him, slunk into the closest exit from the wooden alley.

Astrid skidded around the corner, the shield that was dragged across the floor with her threw up sparks as she passed Hiccup; the Nadder barely even noticed the small teen & continued chasing Astrid, knocking over the panels & destroying Gobber's maze as the blonde Viking darted through the alleys to avoid the snarling dragon. Hiccup had once again stopped to talk to Gobber, hoping for the meaty Viking to tell her anything about Night Furies.

"They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?" She asked desperately, barely even noticing she was buffeted from side to side by the Viking teens, excluding Tuffnut, while they ran past in a panic, several of their shields making contact with her arms & back in their haste to get away.

"Hiccup!" Gobber shouted, making her turn & watch in dismay as the maze fell apart in front of her; Astrid ran up one of the falling panels, the steep incline making it unfortunately easier for both her & the dragon to climb. She reached the top & made a desperate leap to the next, balancing unevenly on the top as it fell.

"Hiccup!" She shrieked as a warning to the other girl to get out of the way; unable to stop Astrid's descent, Hiccup cringed & prepared to do the next best thing to insure the Viking girl's safety: break her fall.

_What happened to Hiccup, Astrid, & the Nadder?_

Tuffnut thought as a cloud of dust rose from the arena floor when the last of the panels hit the ground, stirring up a year's worth of dust & dirt; as the cloud slowly drifted away, the other teens could make out two distinct shapes on the floor. Astrid got tangled up with Hiccup; Astrid's ax had become embedded in Hiccup's shield when the girl broke her fall.

"Oooh! Love on the battlefield!" Tuffnut sung as Astrid attempted to free her ax from Hiccup's shield, their legs still wrapped together; no one noticed the tiny hint of jealousy in his voice as he called out from the other side of the arena.

"She could do better." Ruffnut agreed, stage whispering so everyone could hear while her blue eyes trained solely on the golden-haired Viking, a spark of possession flaring within her eyes.

"Just… let me… why don't you…" Hiccup's voice trailed off as Astrid finally managed to untangle their legs, shoving Hiccup to the ground by her vest in the process; Tuffnut suddenly heard a voice,

"_The Dragon Whisperer!_" He turned his head to the right & saw the Nadder freeing itself from the ruins of what used to be the maze; he bolted when the Nadder chased after him. Astrid saw this, gasped, & looked about for her ax only to realize that it was still embedded in Hiccup's shield.

She placed her boot onto the surface of Hiccup's shield & tugged sharply on the handle of her ax, ignoring Hiccup's cries of pain as the strap dug firmly into her arm & the shield's metal bearings scraped roughly across her forearm; Tuffnut ran wherever he could, keeping the Nadder away from the others.

"_You must use your cosmic powers to save us all._"

"What?" Tuffnut muttered before the Nadder shot a blast of fire at him, knocking him down.

"_Our fates rely on you, Dragon Whisperer!_" The Nadder raced towards him before Astrid raced over & slammed her shield-embedded ax heavily against the approaching dragon's face, knocking the great beast to the side with a startled groan of pain as most of the shield shattered on impact; the Nadder raced back into its cage, keeping a fearful eye on Astrid as she held the broken remains of the shield still attached to the ax in front of her like a club.

"Well done, Astrid." Gobber called out; Hiccup slowly got to her feet & the group walked over to Tuffnut & Astrid. The male twin tried to get up but he quickly fell down with a hiss; Astrid turned to face him with her ax hanging loosely by her side,

"Are you alright, Tuffnut?" He glared at her,

"Do I look alright?" The teens saw that the Nadder's fire had scorched his right leg; Ruffnut helped her brother up & followed Hiccup out of the arena. They took Tuffnut to the healing hut; Hiccup dragged out a small roll of bandages & a salve that helps against the pain of burns.

_This is really gonna go bad in a hurry._

Ruffnut carefully took off his boot before Hiccup applied some salve to the burn, receiving a faint hiss from the male twin; after a quick coating, she carefully wrapped his leg in bandages.

"Okay, that about does it. Do you need help taking him home, Ruff?"

"No thanks; I got it!" She then took her twin home.

* * *

Hiccup stumbled across a loose rock & cursed, readjusting a shield on her arm. Her hand slipped to the pouch at her waist & withdrew a medium fish she had taken from the stores, holding it carefully in front of her.

_Let's see how it'll be! Wait…I gotta remember that it's a dragon. A dragon that let me live; I gotta feed it so it won't starve to death._

The cove entrance came into sight & she readied her shield in front of her, shuffling forward into the narrow tunnel that leads to the mini section of paradise. She came to the very end before it opened up & stopped, lowering her shield so she could see over the top of it into the cove.

She lifted her hand with the fish & turned her shield to the side so she could get a clear shot; she silently tossed the fish forward into the open & cowered back behind her shield, watching attentively as it landed with a thump on the grassy floor. She poked her head around the boulder & glanced from side to side as the fish remained stationary, no dragon coming to claim it; deciding she had already come too far to turn back she moved forward, holding her shield in front of her as protection.

Hiccup had barely made it two steps before her shield became wedged in-between the two boulders, the grey rocks holding it tightly in their embrace; she gave it a few tugs only for it to remain steadfast in its place. She unlatched her arm & ducked under the shield to appear on the other side in the cove before she gave one last half-hearted tug & turned away, sighing under her breath.

_There goes that plan; better stay alert._

She moved towards the fish that still lay on the ground, picking it up by its gill; she took several steps into the cove, her eyes scanning the wide expanse as she moved forward cautiously. She was unaware of the Night Fury carefully watching her; she then rotated slowly on the spot to face him & gasped, holding the fish close to her as he began to slowly make his way down the rock, never breaking the intense staring contest between the both of them.

_Just relax & give him the fish, Hiccup! Stay calm!_

She held out the fish to him; he took several steps forward & opened his mouth before he looked at her vest. He backed up & made a suspicious grumble in the back of his throat, startling her so she drew back the fish against her chest & her hand moved her vest aside to reveal the dagger she had brought. He then snarled & prepared for her to attack; a small bit of him would feel guilty for killing her but he pushed it away & focused on the fact that it would be out of self-defense.

_I just gotta let him know that I'm not a threat!_

She glanced at him; he let out of a puff of anger & shuffled backwards, keeping a steady eye on her hand near the dagger. Her fingers clasped around the handle & he growled, drawing back in preparation to pounce but her hand retreated & her small face twisted into a weird expression before she took several small breaths; she pulled it from her belt & held it at arm's length, dropping it to the ground.

_Almost gaining his trust; just need to let him know._

He jerked his head stiffly to the side as the toe of her boot shifted under the knife, tossing it easily to the side & into the water; she saw almost at once a change envelope the dragon as the threat disappeared in a place where it would not be easily accessible. He shifted back onto his haunches, his eyes widened, & his ears lay back; she could see his face resembled that of a begging puppy.

_She doesn't wanna hurt me? Is she giving me the fish as a peace offering? Very interesting!_

The dragon thought as Hiccup held out her hands to offer him the fish; he looked suspicious for a moment but then moved slowly forward till his mouth was a foot away from the fish, wide in anticipation.

"Huh. Toothless. I could've sworn you had…" she was interrupted when razor sharp teeth filled his mouth; moments later, the fish was snatched from her hands & he held his head high, happily munching on his treat. He licked his lips happily, showing off his beautiful, clean teeth.

"…teeth." She finished, holding her hands close to her body & marveling that he had managed to take a fish from her without even getting scratched. His head snapped in her direction, his pupils dilating as he went from sitting to crouching in moments & began stalking towards her, causing her to stumble backwards & trip over her own feet, landing heavily on the ground. She scuttled on her hands & knees until she was backed against a rock as his head was just mere inches away.

"Uh, no. No, I don't have any more." He suddenly sniffed her before he snorted, growled in fear, & raced away; Hiccup stared after him in confusion.

_He must've smelt Tuffnut on me!_

She suddenly gasped when she realized something,

_Tuffnut! I almost forgot he doesn't know he's part of a legend._

She quickly darted out of the cove, glancing back at the last second to see the night fury curled up on the other side of the cove, his piercing eyes staring at her as if he were looking right into her soul; she shuddered at the eerie feeling & kept running, making it back to the edge of the forest in record time. The sun was barely even touching the horizon yet & she sighed in relief.

_I still have enough time to get the smell of sweat off me from training & the run I just completed._

Hiccup snuck through the village, hoping that no one had seen her enter the village from the forest; if they told her father she was in the woods this late, he would be raving mad. She was almost at her house when she heard voices from a dark alley nearby; she looked to the alley but was unable to see a thing due to the alley being dark,

_What the…must be my imagination; besides, no one could say that I screwed up in training anyway._

She was rudely stopped when a hand shot out before several more followed its lead; she was grabbed roughly around the arms & waist. Another hand that was placed over her mouth prevented her from crying out & she was dragged into the shadows, kicking & screaming, which was muffled.


	5. Beating & revelation

Tuffnut slowly noticed a small light emitting from his leg; he unwrapped it to see that it was glowing a pale yellow before it magically healed. He stared with wide eyes before he slowly got up, careful not to put too much weight on his leg.

"Tuffnut, what did you do?" He turned around & saw Ruffnut staring at him in shock.

"I don't know; it just glowed & magically healed!"

* * *

Hiccup felt her back being slammed into the wall of the small alley & a sharp pain shot up her spine, temporarily winding her; the hand over her mouth loosened but the grip on her arms tightened, making her sure there would be bruises.

"Hey Useless, long time no beating!" A taunting voice sounded; Hiccup glanced up into the cold blue eyes of Bones, a burly dark haired girl who had graduated from dragon training the year before. She suddenly noticed Bones' second-in-command, Blacktop, a brawny girl with black hair & blood-red eyes, standing right next to Bones.

Hiccup identified the two holding her as Blade & Striker, the male brothers of the Seafront family; Slice & Fang, the two girls who follow Bones & Blacktop everywhere were flanking them, the completely opposite girls' fighting with each other was often compared to that of the Thorsten twins, though they did not share blood. Blacktop chuckled,

"We heard about what happened in the ring today; it's really a shame that your misfortune rubbed off onto someone as handsome as Tuffnut. You'll never make a true Viking." Hiccup smirked,

"Maybe not but I'm not brainless enough to fall in love with a guy who doesn't even want anything to do with me." Blacktop stared with wide eyes before she scowled; Bones curled her right hand into a fist & drew it back, placing all of her strength behind the punch as she let it fly.

Hiccup muffled a shriek as she felt her left ribs bend under the pressure but not break before the brutal girl continued targeting that side till she suddenly switched, bringing her massive fists down on the right side of Hiccup's chest; Hiccup refused to give them the satisfaction of screaming.

Two hard blows to her face brought her to her knees & she saw Fang & Blacktop stepping back; Fang was shaking the hand that had just connected with the bones around Hiccup's left cheek while Blacktop looked over the hand that connected to Hiccup's right eye as Bones inspected the damage.

"Idiots!" She shrieked at Fang & Blacktop, rounding on the two girls with a scowl.

"That is going to leave bruises in plain view. You both know how overprotective her father & Gobber are; how do you think we're going to hide that?"

"I'm the one she insulted; if anyone deserved to beat her, it was me!" Blacktop snarled; Fang then spoke,

"Hey Bones, who said they have to know she was hit? She could have… I don't know, fallen & hit her face on a rock; the gods know she is clumsy enough for that to happen." With her eyes lighting up in understanding, Bones turned her attention to Hiccup.

"You hear that, Useless? You fell; you understand? You were going for a walk in the forest & fell down a ditch; you hit your face on the rock. No one did that to you & if I hear you saying anything different, next time I won't go so easy on you." She hissed, pulling the smaller girl from the brothers' grasps & holding her roughly by the neck while making sure not to increase the pressure enough to create a hand print.

Hiccup nodded weakly & Blacktop evilly giggled at the threat's simplicity while Bones smirked as she loosened her hold & let Hiccup drop to the ground before leaving the alley with her cronies; the injured girl collapsed in a heap on the ground due to her legs refusing to hold her weight.

She saw that the sun only had a while to go before it set & groaned as she pushed herself off the hard dirt; her hands shaking as the weight settled onto her bruised ribs, making them cry out in agony. She began the long & painful trek to her house, knowing that she had an emergency kit for situations such as these under her bed.

She didn't meet anyone on her way; most of the Vikings were off searching for the nest & the older ones that weren't were probably in the Great Hall as dinner would be being served early like it was every day the village went searching. The other teenagers were most likely already at the tower waiting for Gobber; they wouldn't even care if she was late.

They barely even noticed she was there most days unless she messed up; of course, that was really the only time they paid any attention to her. Hiccup finally managed to drag herself up the steps to her house & pushed weakly against the door, almost falling inward as she stumbled across the interior.

She groaned loudly as she slowly made her way up to her room, each step on the stairs making her ribs throb in pain; as soon as she entered her room, she collapsed heavily on the bed with a short cry before her hand darted down beneath her bed & retrieved the medical kit. Pulling her aching body up against the headboard, she opened it before grabbing some salve for her ribs, bandages, & cream for the bruises on her face. Finally gathering her courage, she stepped off the bed, moving sluggishly across the room to gaze in her mirror; her eyes widened in surprise as she removed her shirt & wrappings to inspect her ribs.

Her left cheek was sporting a large purple & yellow bruise while a black eye was on her right; there were two large hand shaped marks on her biceps & both sides of her ribs were dotted with huge bruises in colors of angry reds, purple, yellows & even some black. She grimaced & grabbed the salve, smearing it gently across her chest before binding it with bandages & pulling her shirt back on; she noted with distaste that even though the bandages were tight, they did nothing to pull in her chest so her chest was pushed against her shirt in all its glory. Before she capped the salve, she rolled up her sleeves & covered the hand prints there in it, hoping that it would help them as well.

Finally, she moved to the bruises on her face & cursed under her breath; normally whenever Bones & her gang of thugs got to her, the bruises were never in plain sight & she could easily cover them up before going about her life as if they never happened, albeit she would still be in pain but no one had to know that. These bruises would be on her face for at least a few days & she knew that there was nothing she could do to cover them up from the other teens & older Vikings. Hiccup scowled & grabbed the cream before gently coating each bruise in the clear sticky paste, smearing it generously against each bruise & sighing in relief as the cold cream helped to ebb away the blistering pain.

Realizing that they would still be in plain sight, she began brainstorming ideas on how to cover them: a bandage was just so obvious & would get her immediately caught, masks were only used for festivals, & she had no makeup to cover it up as only the older Vikings in the village wore that & only for special events like weddings & parties. She scowled as she came to the only logical conclusion; she reached back a shaking hand & slid out the ties that bound her hair back, tugging them out gently so her hair fell from its usual stiff double plait that stopped just below her shoulders.

Without the restraints, her hair was back to its usual curly glory, hanging in curls & ringlets down to her waist; she pulled several of the long strands forward so they draped over her face, hiding the multi-colored bruises from sight.

"Yay, the two things I try to hide for most of my life are about to come to light; all because of stupid Bones & her thugs." She muttered sarcastically, twirling a red lock between her fingers & grimacing at the mirror before trying desperately to suck in her chest until giving up.

She groaned & checked how she looked in the mirror one last time before hissing & turning to leave, rearranging her hair so it looked more natural but still covered her bruises; she shuffled awkwardly through the town to the base of the tower, being extra careful not to jolt her ribs & send the now familiar sparks of pain up her sides.

She could see that the bonfire had already been lit & there were shadows clustered around it, forming a tight knit circle; one shadow was large than the others & Hiccup had no problem believing this was Gobber.

Tuffnut glanced around the fire before his eyes darted towards the stairs, not betraying the growing concern he felt inside when he couldn't see the red haired girl on the tower. Snotlout, Fishlegs, & Astrid had been shocked when they saw him limping up the steps with his sister close behind; the twins had explained what happened when they reached the top.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his sister's knowing look & averted his eyes back to the fire, uncomfortably aware of just how suspicious that looked; he could tell his sister thought so too as she grinned triumphantly & turned back to the front, her eyes following the movements Astrid was making across the fire with a dreamy look on her face.

Tuffnut jumped startled & whipped his head around to look over his shoulder when Astrid stilled, her eyes going wide as they focused on a point past his head; he felt his eyes widen as well but couldn't look away: it was Hiccup but unlike anytime he had ever seen her.

Her hair wasn't in its usual double plait; it stopped just below her waist in waves & ringlets the color of fire while strands of gold seemed to be woven into her hair as the light from the fire caught her head on an angle & she was covered in a warm glow like a halo. That wasn't all: her ahem… womanly assets were much larger than he had ever seen them & strained against the now too small top.

Hiccup looked up from her embarrassed gazing at her feet, her eyes locking with a pair the color of molten silver before she glanced back at her feet; the climb up the stairs of the tower had nearly killed her & she could swear she could actually hear her ribs as they strained to break her chest from the inside out.

She saw that all of the boys on the tower were staring at her chest & blushed, moving as quickly as she dared with her ribs over to sit by Fishlegs only to be intercepted by Gobber; she sighed & moved towards him as he beckoned her towards the side of the tower, away from the other teens.

She had hoped that Gobber would just let it be: he knew about Bones but not how bad it got; he only thought they went as far as teasing her. No matter how much they hurt her, she didn't want the same to happen to them & she was certain if Gobber got mad enough & found them, there would be hell to pay.

But of course, he had instantly known something was up; he would have been stupid not to know. Hiccup wouldn't let her hair down if it wasn't important; she had kept her hair hidden for far too long to suddenly unveil it for no good reason.

Astrid & the other teens watched fascinated as the smallest of their group sighed wearily & plodded over to the blacksmith; her recently unveiled hair hanging around her face & acting like a curtain. Astrid & Ruffnut looked at each other in shock; not only had she finally taken her hair out of the double braid but she had unbound her chest too.

To them, the only surprise was the hair: sure they had known that it was red & long because the length of her double plait proved that but they had always thought that she had straight hair; they had never assumed that it didn't look like the usual Berk style.

Tuffnut couldn't help but stare at Hiccup; the fire reflected off her emerald eyes & made the flecks of silver in her eyes shine like moonlight that had been sent from the heavens.

The group of teenagers discreetly moved forward to hear the conversation going on between Hiccup & Gobber; Hiccup was faced towards them but kept her eyes on the ground & her hair hanging in front of her face. Ruffnut thought she saw a bit of black on the smaller girl's face but quickly dismissed it; Fishlegs began to wonder what was going on with his friend.

"Right Hiccup, fess up!" Gobber stated, staring worriedly down at the young girl as she tried her hardest to avoid his gaze.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Gobber." She said innocently, averting her eyes as he tried once more to catch her stare; Gobber frowned as he heard her talk: her breath came out slightly halted & he knew from years of training & battles that meant something had been done to the person's chest. Judging from the fact that Hiccup was still walking, he thanked Odin that they had not been broken still; Hiccup was clumsy yes but she had never been injured bad enough for her ribs to be hurt like that.

"What are you hiding, Hiccup?" He growled, crossing his meaty arms across his chest & staring down at her only for her to swerve her head at the last second so her hair covered her face. The other teens looked on with interest as the chief's daughter stubbornly faced down with the old warrior; her hair was now tumbling about her face in her effort to hide her eyes from Gobber's relentless stare. Finally, the smithy lost his patience & grabbed her jaw firmly in his hand, using the prosthetic hand, a metal rod for roasting the chicken over the fire, to push back her hair; his eyes widened in horror as he took in the colorful bruises that flourished across her face.

The group of teens sat in their circle, gaping at her & trying not to look too concerned; the young girl's face was like a canvas for the colors: the bruise & black eye were roughly the same size & shape, indicating that this had not been just coincidental. Hiccup sighed & looked away, missing the sharp glance of hatred that stole through Tuffnut's eyes as he took in her broken complexion.

"Look Gobber, it's not too bad; I mean, it's not as bad as my other ones…" her voice trailed off as she realized what she had admitted & she darted to the side, trying to make a break for the stairs.

"Astrid, hold her!" Gobber commanded flatly & the blond girl darted in front of the escaping Hiccup, stopping the girl with a well-placed tackle. Hiccup shrieked in pain & pushed Astrid off her, grabbing at her ribs as sharp pain shot through her chest; her bruised & aching ribs had quickly become worse. She could have sworn she heard a crack when Astrid tackled her; the other teens became even more worried as they watched Astrid stand quickly & move over to Gobber's side.

"I didn't even tackle her that hard, Gobber; she shouldn't be acting like that." Astrid reported in worry, glancing at Gobber as he stared at his wriggling apprentice.

"Aye lass, unless she already had something there." He hissed, moving forward & towering over the young girl.

"What else did they do to you?" Gobber commanded, pulling her up by her arm & gently setting her onto her feet.

"Can we do this later, Gobber? It's just, I really don't want to take my shirt off here." She mumbled, glancing down at the ground in embarrassment; he nodded in approval & turned her to face him.

"Just one more question, Hiccup: Who. Did. It?" He enunciated slowly; she grimaced, looking to the side again. Tuffnut flatly asked,

"It was Bones & her gang again, wasn't it?" She nodded slowly & moved closer to the stairwell, ready to block Gobber from going after them.

"Move aside, Hiccup!" Snotlout was confused,

"Tuff, how'd you know Bones & her gang did this?"

"He didn't; they're always coming at us so Blacktop could hit on Tuffnut!" Ruffnut answered.

"Wow, she's really crazy about Tuffnut, isn't she?"

"Yeah, kinda like Snotlout is crazy about you." Tuffnut pointed out, causing Astrid to giggle & Snotlout to look guilty; Snotlout then apologized to Astrid & she forgave him.

Hiccup gave him a sad, sympathetic smile but shook her head as if she wouldn't allow it. The gang of older Vikings had beaten her to a pulp & she was still defending them against Gobber & Snotlout; why would she defend someone who hated her?

Tuffnut, meanwhile, had not even contemplated stopping them; those bastards had hurt his Hiccup & it was time they paid for it… wait, his Hiccup? Where the hell did that come from? He wondered, seeing Hiccup send the rest of them another pleading look as she tried to stop the stronger Vikings from escaping & hunting down the gang; Astrid grimaced & moved forward, helping Hiccup push Gobber back towards the fire pit.

"I heard you have some great stories, Gobber; how about you tell us some?" Astrid soothed, moving quickly over to the chicken & placing it on Gobber's spit hand over the fire.

"Fine lass but Hiccup, you will show me what else they did to you, you understand me?" He asked & she nodded hesitantly, quietly padding over to the benches & sitting on Gobber's left while making sure to stay in his range of sight; once during a dragon raid, she had been badly injured & her father had hardly cared, however, Gobber made sure she stayed within his sight for a week after that but, whenever she wasn't, he became slightly hysterical.

The other teens quickly pushed the thoughts of what had happened to the back of their minds, all of them sitting comfortably on the logs as they settled in to be regaled by Gobber's stories of past battles & the loss of his arm & leg.

Hiccup had heard this before & spent the time staring into the fire while concentrating on her breathing, attempting to ignore the striking pain that was snaking its way up her left side & settling into her ribs; she looked up briefly & her eyes locked with a pair of silver ones from the spot on her other side.

The other teens were too busy concentrating on Gobber's story, they didn't notice the intense eye conversation going on next to them; Hiccup hadn't noticed how handsome Tuffnut was before: his golden hair fell below his elbows & contrasting perfectly with his smooth, golden skin. She suddenly noticed his seemingly uninjured leg, looking over it as many times as she could; shock overcame her face until she remembered about the prophecy she read in the dragon manual.

Though he was slighter in stature than Snotlout, Tuffnut had built up quite a bit of muscle over the years & it showed: his lean frame full of hard, compacted muscle; her gaze was drawn once more to his face & she took in the sight of his eyes: shimmering pools of liquid silver that had never ceased to amaze her because any other Viking eyes that looked even remotely like his were plain grey, nothing very special about them but his were something different.

His beautiful eyes were set in a handsome face while a strong jaw line & prominent cheek bones gave him a slightly aristocratic look: coupled with a sharp nose, arching golden eyebrows, & lips that looked both soft & warm; it was no wonder she liked him.

She mentally stopped & backtracked, looking over her thoughts of the past few minutes; since when had she started liking Tuffnut Thorsten? He made her life a living hell practically from the day she was born…

_Then again, he is the Dragon Whisperer & doesn't know it; I guess I should help him with that._

Tuffnut kept the eye contact, his eyes never leaving her face as her eyes quickly scanned his body; his breath hitched in his throat & he tried to look nonchalant, his eyes moving up & down her body in quick glances. Her hair by the firelight looked like it was a light, whipping about her face as the night-time winds buffeted the top of the tower & sent it into disarray about her face. Her emerald eyes locked with his & she stared at him with a strange intensity that almost had him squirming in his seat; her eyes were still scanning his face & he noticed her gaze land on his lips more than once.

He himself couldn't help but think what it would feel like to taste her lips, as soft & juicy looking as the biggest strawberries in springtime & often when passing her in the village, she had reminded him of springtime; no matter the time of year, she always seemed to smell of strawberries. Her hair, her body, her entire being was almost a strawberry itself; no matter the season or the weather, she always had a bunch of strawberries on hand. Often the younger children in the village, those not yet understanding how much of an outcast she is, came running up to her asking her for them; she would always oblige & they would run away happily with their precious treats, making her smile.

He once more locked eyes with her & he could feel himself falling even further for her; her gaze was full of so many emotions, such pain & sorrow but there was more than that: they held a shine of innocence, hope, & peace that comforted Tuffnut. She blushed when she noticed he had caught her looking & turned her head away, biting softly on her lower lip as she tried to concentrate on what Gobber was saying; Tuffnut held in a groan, she didn't know just what she was doing to him or just how much he liked it.

"…& with one twist he took my hand & swallowed it whole. And I saw the look on his face. I was delicious. He must have passed the word because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg." He gestured towards his peg leg as the teenagers drew in a collective breath but Hiccup smirked; she had heard this story a million times before & each time it became grander & grander than the last.

"Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon? Like if your mind was still in control of it, you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing his heart or something." Fishlegs cut in, nearly hitting Astrid with a chicken leg; Tuffnut looked with an arched eyebrow while the other trainees had weird looks.

"I swear I'm so angry right now. I'll avenge your beautiful hand & your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face." Hiccup silently snorted, catching only Tuffnut's attention; Gobber gave off some grunts of disagreement as he wiped his face,

"Un-unh. It's the wings & the tails you really want. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon." Hiccup thought of the Night Fury, all alone in the cove before she stored the information in the back of her head for later; suddenly the world around her began to go fuzzy. Her hearing faded in & out & her eyes unfocused as her vision became distorted before she began to sway in her seat, unable to keep her balance.

"Gobber, I think something's wrong with Hiccup!" Tuffnut interjected, seeing that Hiccup had begun to pale slightly before the swaying began; everyone else saw & Ruffnut quickly rushed over & caught the smaller girl when she fainted.

"Tuffnut, pick her up & take her to the healer's hut; I would but I only have one hand to carry her in. The rest of you off to bed; I want you up bright & early for training tomorrow. Tuffnut, I'm just going to shut down the forge; take her to the hut & quickly, I fear something may have happened to her chest!" Gobber ordered & the teens filed out; Tuffnut was left for last. He watched as Gobber walked down the stairs & across the village towards the forge, his steps surprisingly quick for a man with a peg leg.

He reached down & scooped her up, draping her arm around his neck to allow him better chances of not dropping her; one arm encircled her waist & the other under her knees, lifting her easily into his arms. He was once more reminded of the way he had carried her before dragon training when she had come stumbling out of the forest, half-dead; it seemed Hiccup was having the same thought because she suddenly giggled, attracting his attention.

"We really have to stop meeting like this." She murmured, laying her head against his chest & cuddling closer to him; he stiffened for a fraction of a second before relaxing & limping off as fast as his leg can allow him.

"Such pretty eyes." He heard her quietly whisper to herself, bringing one of her soft hands up to rest on his cheek & pull his head in her direction.

"Silver." She sighed, dropping her hand gently onto her stomach before tucking her other arm securely around his neck.

"You need to sleep, Hiccup; there's something wrong with you & we have to find out what it is. This will all go faster if you're asleep." He muttered; Hiccup looked up at him,

"I'm sorry, Tuffnut!" He was confused,

"What for?" She sighed, curling up at his warmth even further,

"When I was studying the dragon manual, I noticed two pages had been stuck together; when I separated the pages, it was revealed to be about a legend called the Dragon Whisperer. According to the book, you are the Dragon Whisperer; that's why the dragons are after you." His eyes went wide as he limped on.


	6. Helping each other

Tuffnut limped through the village as fast as he could; Hiccup was dozing on his chest & her petite figure was curled up in his arms, emanating a feeling of protection within his chest. He couldn't help but stare at the bruises on her face: the angry colors blossomed across her face & he worried for her; if the other bruises she had were worse than these, than how bad would they be? She was so innocent, who would want to hurt her? He growled & it vibrated through his chest; Hiccup sighed quietly in her sleep & she shifted slightly, her hand gently sliding back & forth through the hair near his neck.

Tuffnut smiled as he ascended the stairs to the healer's hut with Hiccup cradled to his chest like a precious bundle; he halted suddenly when he encountered the door. He carefully reached out & pushed the door open before limping inside; Tuffnut smirked & moved swiftly across the room, crouching down before one of the end beds & carefully laying her out on it.

Hiccup woke up & Tuffnut moved back as Gobber came barreling through the door, heading straight for his apprentice; he stopped in front of her bed & stared down at her with a stern expression that made her wriggle uncomfortably. Tuffnut gently rubbed his bad leg while keeping limited pressure on it.

"Okay Hiccup, off with the shirt!" Gobber ordered before Hiccup's eyes widened as she glanced quickly in Tuffnut's direction & blushed a cherry red; Gobber noticed where she was looking & shook his head before turning back to face his apprentice,

"Sorry lass but he has to stay, I need him to help me; now off with that shirt before I force you out of it." Hiccup stubbornly shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest & set her jaw defiantly.

"Tuffnut, I'm going to need your help." Gobber said, moving forward & pulling Hiccup's arms off her chest, holding them down by her sides as she shrieked & kicked out at Gobber, catching him several times with her booted feet.

"Quickly boy, grab your knife & cut it off; I'll buy her a new one!" Gobber instructed & Tuffnut obeyed; he noticed that she was giving him an understanding look, considering this a great payback for keeping his powers a secret from him. He used several deft strokes & her shirt fell into strips that were soon thrown to the side & forgotten; Tuffnut's eyes wandered over the wide expanse of bare skin on display & there was a lot of it. His eyes caught the path of creamy skin that led into her bindings; they widened as he saw the start of the soft globes.

Hiccup blushed as she saw his eyes scanning her body, his eyes lingering much longer on her chest; she made to cross her arms & saw his eyes narrow, not understanding what he was mad about until she remembered the bruises on her arms & ribs. Moving her arms had uncovered both lots & she inwardly yelled at herself, berating herself for showing them to him; Tuffnut could feel a hot swell of fury building up in his head as he observed the bruises from his spot above her. The handprints on her arms were a dark angry purple & red, showing a distinct shape of fingers & palms on the otherwise flawless skin; his gaze moved to her chest & ribs while he clenched his fists, his eyes studying the expanse of colors that stretched across them: green, blue, purple, red, yellow, & even black spread across them & he looked up to her face, seeing her flush a dark red under his gaze.

He heard Gobber addressing him to get some bandages to bind her ribs as she had broken a couple when Astrid tackled her; the added weight on the already strained ribs had caused them to break. He thanked Odin that they were lucky enough for them not to have punctured her lungs; if they did, she might have died from the blood pooling into her lungs. He hurried & got what Gobber asked for; the smithy then asked him to sit behind her & hold her still while Gobber bound them. Hiccup blushed again as Tuffnut climbed into the bed with her, pulling her up so she was sitting before sliding behind her & allowing her to rest against his chest; his chin rested on top of her head as he observed Gobber at work.

Thankful for many years of practice, Tuffnut managed to disguise his blush as he felt Hiccup leaning further & further into him; she cried out, her back arching off the bed as Gobber tugged tightly on the bandages, securing them quickly with the clip & stepping back. Hiccup quieted down as she slowly became accustomed to the bandages, her weight settling back fully onto Tuffnut as he eased her back, gently rubbing soothing circles on her stomach with the pads of his fingers, something he had seen his mother do to calm his sister down on more than one occasion; Gobber watched them silently, noticing the way they seemed to fit perfectly together.

He quickly dismissed it. Tuffnut & Hiccup had been natural enemies since the first time they met: Tuffnut was already learning to fight, same as his twin & all the other kids their age but Hiccup preferred to sketch & invent; she was said to be useless but that wasn't true, at least Gobber knew it wasn't.

While the other kids were out roughhousing & learning to use weapons, Hiccup had been helping in the forge; by the time she was six, she was already making weapons for the village as well as armor & equipment for construction. She had not only learned how to handle metal but wood as well, easily crafting useful gadgets & inventions that made life a lot easier for Gobber; she had even shown him how to improve the quality of the shields that he made, no one other than him seemed to realize just how special she was. That is until now, Gobber rationalized, watching as the normally fierce & violent Thorsten boy became quiet & calm in the presence of Hiccup; he wondered how he ever could have missed it but then realized that it had been of the desperate hope that Hiccup would remain alone like him & he would never have to deal with overzealous boys after her affections.

Stoick should have been the one in his place: the man who should have been hanging around the young girl & making sure that she was safe & no perverted young boy took advantage of her but of course thanks to his old friend's neglect, it was up to him to keep Hiccup safe; not that he hated the job, in fact, she was his daughter more than Stoick's at this point & he worried for her. He would have to keep an eye on that Thorsten boy; if he ever knowingly hurt so much as a hair on Hiccup's head, Gobber vowed to hunt him down with ruthless intensity. Hiccup smiled up at Tuffnut as he ceased his calming motions on her stomach, his silver eyes locking with hers; she blushed & looked down, her hands moving up to gingerly poke at her bandage-covered ribs.

"Don't! You'll just make them worse!" Tuffnut scolded while he softly slapped her hands away from the bandages, his own cheeks covered with a light pink blush.

"Aye lad, do you think you could carry her back to her house? I don't think that she should be allowed to walk just yet; it could put pressure on her ribs & make them even worse." Gobber asked while hiding a sly smile that occupied his face with the palm of his hand, pretending to be wiping something off.

"Sure Gobber, will she still have to be at training tomorrow?" Tuffnut asked while referring to the girl who had fallen asleep in his arms, her body having shut down to deal with the pain.

"Only if she's up to it, lad; look, there's something you need to know about Hiccup. Since she was young, she hasn't trusted well anyone 'cept maybe me; she'll get injured, cover it up, & pretend it never happened, then go about her life like normal. To Hiccup, acknowledging she's injured in front of others is a weakness & as such, she denies it as long as possible. You watch, tomorrow she'll be back at training with a smile on her face, even if she's dying inside." Gobber explained, inwardly smirking as he saw the concerned look that Tuffnut shot at Hiccup.

"See you tomorrow, Gobber!" Tuffnut said, carefully cradling Hiccup in his arms; he nodded to the old smithy & quickly limped out of the hut, missing the knowing look that Gobber shot at his back.

"Come on you two, open your damn eyes." He whispered, shaking his head at the obliviousness of the two teens; he grimaced as a sharp pain shot up his peg leg & turned, hobbling back to his home so he could sit in front of a fire & warm his aching bones, working with the younger generation often tired him out as he wasn't as fit as he used to be.

Tuffnut grimaced, staring down at Hiccup; with her eyes closed, he felt no obligations to remain polite & not stare, still having enough respect to keep his eyes off her chest because of her shirt still hanging in tatters. The flourishing bruises painted her face an array of colors & they gleamed under the lanterns; his steady limping made sure that she was comfortable before she shifted in her sleep, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. The male twin's expression softened & he smiled before lifting a hand to gently brush her fringe away from her face, being careful to avoid her bruises.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tuffnut whispered before hanging his head in shame, remembering the way they treated her; she would have thought they would just brushed her off or made fun of her for being unable to defend herself & he guessed in a way, she would be right. They had never shown that they cared about her even the tiniest bit, why would her being hurt change anything?

"I'm sorry." He muttered before steeling his face & his heart; he couldn't feel like this, he was a strong Viking & he would not be brought away from that by some tiny scrap of a girl who barely knew how to hold an ax even if she was utterly adorable & sweet to match. He took the climb to her house as fast as he dared with her in his arms & his bad leg, once again pushing the door open; he looked around for a place to set her, not quite comfortable with entering her room. His eyes narrowed in annoyance as he realized that he had no choice but to take her upstairs; he hissed under his breath & fixed his eyes on the staircase, taking the steps carefully before moving along the walkway, easily finding her room from the time he once snuck in there on a dare.

He pushed open the door & hurried to her bed, carefully laying her against the pillow before biting his lip; he rested a glowing pale yellow hand on her shoulder. Her body took the same glow & the injuries suddenly disappeared; he then sighed just before he turned to leave,

"So I'm the Dragon Whisperer!"

"Again, I'm sorry." He stopped & looked over his shoulder to see Hiccup looking rather guilty; he looked at the floor & sighed,

"Don't worry about it, Hiccup." He then turned around before asking,

"Why would I be the Dragon Whisperer anyway? Why not someone else?" Hiccup sighed,

"The book said that the Dragon Whisperer is a psychic Viking born with the ability to talk to dragons; it also states that the Dragon Whisperer has unlimited power. The last thing that was said about the Dragon Whisperer is that he must be a male twin." Tuffnut blinked,

"You know, the Nadder did say that I have cosmic powers; maybe the dragons know more about the Dragon Whisperer than anybody. We should ask them about it." Hiccup thought about it,

"Sounds like a plan but for now, let's work on those healing powers of yours!" The two teens spent most of the night practicing Tuffnut's healing powers; once he completely mastered it, he used it on Hiccup & his leg before they both fell asleep.

* * *

Hiccup led the male twin to the cove; Tuffnut carried a basket of fish. Hiccup had her hair back in its usual double plait; Tuffnut looked at her,

"So why did you bring me here?"

"I wanna ask you a favor." She then called out,

"Hey Toothless. I brought breakfast & a friend. I hope you're hungry." Toothless appeared & noticed Tuffnut, who was shocked & amazed.

"_The Dragon Whisperer!_" Tuffnut moaned,

"And here we go." Hiccup gave a sad smile,

"He's still discovering his powers." Tuffnut set down the basket & kicked it open, spilling the fish inside.

"Uh, we've got some salmon…" Hiccup took a step to the side,

"…some nice Icelandic cod…" she smiled,

"…& a whole smoked eel." Toothless looked at the pile & growled; Tuffnut took the eel & tossed it away. He then wiped his hand on his vest while the dragon calmed down,

"_Thank you, uh…_" the male twin smiled,

"Tuffnut." He turned to the female,

"He was trying to guess if I had a name." The Night Fury ate before he licked his lips & turned to them,

"_So, why would the girl bring you here?_"

"Good question; he asked why you brought me here." Hiccup smiled,

"Since we mastered your healing powers last night, I thought that you could help Toothless with his tail."

"_Why does she keep calling me Toothless?_" The dragon asked while tilting his head; Hiccup looked at the twin,

"What'd he say?" He answered,

"He was asking why you kept calling him Toothless."

"Oh sorry, I didn't really know if you had a name & well, I thought Toothless 'cause the first time I met you, your teeth were retracted." She mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck & shuffling awkwardly.

"_None of the dragons have had names since the arrival of Bloodlust & the beast but I like it._" Toothless declared, nodding emphatically.

"We got the feeling that you dragons know about the Dragon Whisperer more than our book said." Tuffnut explained, causing Toothless to stop eating & look at the teens in confusion,

"_Book?_" She took a guess of what Toothless asked,

"We have a dragon manual that explains what we think about you dragons; I found a page about the Dragon Whisperer." Hiccup continued to explain what the book said about the Dragon Whisperer while Tuffnut got a look at Toothless' tail; he then held his hands near the tail. It began to glow pale yellow before a new tail fin grew in; when the twin was finished, Toothless looked over at his newly grown tail fin.

"_Thanks Tuffnut! That reminds me, what is this female's name?_"

"He would like to know your name since you gave him one." She smiled,

"My name is Hiccup." Toothless nuzzled her while Tuffnut watched with a smile.

"_Shall we fly?_" The boy was confused by the dragon's question,

"We?" Toothless lightly drew circles in the dirt,

"_I wish to give you both a ride to test my tail._"

"You know, that sounds like fun. He wants to give us a ride to test his tail."

"Really? Thanks Toothless!" Toothless allowed them onto his back: Hiccup behind Tuffnut; he then spread out his wings before flying high into the air. Hiccup began to scream out of fear while Tuffnut clenched his teeth; Toothless then dove down before using his wings to stop the decent. He hovered in the air as he looked at his passengers.

"That…was…awesome!" Tuffnut cheered while Hiccup giggled; Toothless then flew back & landed smoothly in the cove. Tuffnut dismounted & gently patted the Night Fury's head,

"Thanks." Hiccup dismounted & hugged him; Tuffnut looked around,

"Hiccup, I think we should head back to the village before someone starts looking for us."

"Agreed; we'll see you later, Toothless." Hiccup hugged the Night Fury again before she followed the boy out of the cove.


End file.
